Toy cars



F. PETrl-r TOY CARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 5, 1955 um ...m .I m E Q n n l A n z rb! .I m on im r .l-"Juhlnl .IIHI n l IIJ V M m Q A UU I ml lQ \\v Q @HW F Q il. m. Pn Em t. i l; IIEIIIEI '.IMDHHTV; l F x/ Nov. 19, 1957 F. PETTIT 2,813,648

TOY CARS Filed Aug. 5, 1955 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRANK P57771' ATTORNEY United States Patent O TOY CARS Frank Pettit, Union, N. J., assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 5, 1955, Serial No. 526,667

6 Claims. (Cl. 214-518) The present invention relates to toy cars and is more particularly related to toy cars for the transportation of cylindrical articles such as toy barrels and the automatic unloading of such toy barrels by mechanism carried on the car.

The present invention contemplates toy railroad cars onto which toy barrels or the like may be loaded by mechanism such, for example, as that shown in the Bonanno application Serial No. 394,185, filed November 24, 1953. The car is adapted to transport these barrels over the toy railroad track layout and when stopped on the track opposite a suitable remote controller alongside the track to discharge the barrels when mechanism carried in the car is energized thereby.

According to the present invention, the toy car is provided with a longitudinally sloping, electromagnetically operated, vibratory ramp or article carrier up which the toy barrels are shifted when the vibrator magnet is energized. The car is provided with a lockable cam adapted to prevent barrels from being ejected from the car unintentionally. This cam is manually releasable so that when the barrels are shifted against it, it acts so as to eject one barrel laterally over the rollway and presets itself for actuation by the next toy barrel.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention, one embodiment in which the invention may take form, it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting the same.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a toy car showing the releasing cam shifted to the extreme forward position occupied after a toy barrel has been discharged;

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the toy car on the line 2-2 of Figure l with parts in elevation;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the car on the track associated with the remote controller;

Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary top plan views of the discharge end of the car; Figure 4 illustrating the control cam in three different positions, and Figure 5 illustrating it in locked position;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view through the toy car and track taken on the line 6-6 of Figures l and 2;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 7 7 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 8 8 of Figure 5;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 9-9 of Figure 2;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view taken in the direction of the arrow 10 of Figure 2; and

Figure 11 is a cross section on the line 11-11 of Fig. ure l0.

In the drawings, the usual car trucks are indicated at lil- 10, and the platform of the car is indicated at 11. This platform, usually made of sheet steel carries upwardly extending oblique springs 12 and 13. They may be made of Phosphor bronze, spring 13 longer than spring Platform 11 is slotted as indicated at 15, Figure 2` to receive anchoring screw 16 for fastening in a vibrator magnet 17. This magnet has a pin 18 extending down through the slot to facilitate guiding the vibrator for purposes of adjusting for proper airgap to operate in the desired voltage range. pole piece 19 adjacent magnetizable article carrier 14 so that when the magnet is energized by low voltage, alternating current article carrier 14 will be attracted and repelled. Owing to thesloping support given by the springs 12 and 13, the article carrier 14 will have a small back and forth longitudinal movement as well as an up and down movement.

The car platform supports a one piece plastic body indicated generally by the letter B. To secure the body in place,'it is provided with openings 20, 20, in one end wall to receive prongs 21 carried by the car platform 11 and at the other end the platform has a prong 22 to receive a screw 23. The car body has a rear side wall` 24 and a front side wall 25. These side walls have inwardly extending decks 26 and 27 which slope longitudinally at the same angle as the article carrier 14. They are so disposed to accommodate the article carrier. The decks have ribs 26a, 27a, which slope downwardly as indicated so as to make certain that a cylindrical toy object such as the toy barrels 30 will roll down into the article carrier.

The left end of the car body, as indicated in the drawings, carries a cam or lever 35 pivoted at 36. This lever is adapted to be moved back and forth between the positions indicated in Figures 1 and 5. When it is in position of Figures 5 and 8, it is locked against movement by a downwardly extending prong 37 entering a notch 38 in the car body. When in this position, it will be seen from Figure 5 that uppermost barrel carried by the carrier has been brought to the position indicated in that ligure and held there. Its left hand engages the forward,

When it is desired to have-the barrels discharged, th

lever 35 is liexed suiliciently to lift the prong 37 out of the notch 38 as indicated by the dotted lines of Figure S and brought slightly forward to the full line position ofv Figure 4. Now when the vibrator is actuated, the barrels are urged to the left, and the front end of the uppermost barrel now engages the cam surface 41 and urges the cam from the full line position indicated in Figure 4 through the other two positions so that the barrel may move out of the channel portion of the article carrier. By this time a camming surface 42 on the cam member 35 has engaged the side of the barrel and pushed the barrel forward. This causes the barrel to roll over the forwardly extending lip 43 of the article carrier and down into to a rollway 44 in the front side of the car body.

When the barrel rolls down the rollway, it-leaves the cam member 35 in the full line position of Figure 1 or the clockwise position of Figure 4. When the next barrel approaches its front end will engage a camming surface 45 and shift the cam member 35 back to the full line position of Figure 4 so that this barrel can again shift the cam 35 and be ejected down the rollway. The cam member 35 has a downwardly extending stop flange 46 engageably with the end of the car body. It will thus be seen that when the cam 35 is in a position shown in Figure 5, one can place barrels on the sloping article carrier 14 and by means of the vibrator shift them to- The vibrator magnet has a E. Ward the discharge end`of` the device and that the loaded carcan ben carried around the traclc without' danger of unintentional discharge of the barrels.

When the barrels are to be discharged, the car is brought toi a proper position on the track where the magnet 1T can be energized andthe' canr 3S is released. One side, of the vibrator coil` isgrounded" to the carplati form and connected through thetrucks and(A wheels` with the grounded rails of the track; Thek otherA sidev of' the vibrator coil 17' isconnected'by wiresSU-S'with con'- tact shoes-Sl-l carried by the. trucks lil- 10. When one of these Contact shoes' is energized, by being connected to the powern rail the vibrator is operated. When' one uses* a ve-rail track section, such asV is shown inv Patent* #2,6613852 or` similar special track section; the vibrator; coil 17 may beenergized by, connecting'rail 36 or'37 (of, saidpatent)` tothe third rail by a suitable remotey controlv switch, such` as the uncouplepush button shownv in that patent.

Instead however, of employing the construction of the prior" patent just referred: to, it is preferable to ernploy aconnector such as'is indicated in-60 in Figures 2, 3' andi 6. This connector hastwo` contact rails 61--61 between the power rail 62 and the wheel bearing rails 63. Thesecontract rails are connected together as' indicated at 64 and to a terminal clip 65. The power rail isconnected to another'terminal clip 66 as indicated at 67. The clips 65; and 66 are connected toa control switch 685. The structure of the connecterv 66 formsl the subject matter of my application led August 5, 1955, Serial No. 526,748.

Since it is obviousthat the invention may be embodied in other-forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, I wish it to be understood that the particular formshownis but one of these forms, and various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limitl myself in any way with respect thereto.

What isclaimed is:

l. A toy car for the transportation of toy cylindrical objects resting on their sides, theV car having a receiving end onto which the articles may be loaded and a discharge end at a higher elevation than the-receiving end, an inclined, vibratory, article receiving channel in which the articles rest in abutting relation and acting,` when vibrated to shift the articles from the receivingend to the discharge end, a discharge rollwayat one side` of the-discharge end, and ejector means opposite the rollway and movable back and forth by'each' advancing article, between an ejecting position and a preset position.

2. A toy4 carfor the' transportation of cylindrical toy articles resting on their sides, comprisinga toy bodywith front and rear side walls and longitudinal decks extending inwardly therefrom to form a slot higher at one enct than attire' other, a' magnetizable channel occupying the slot and adapted to receive the cylindrical toy articles in end to end position, electromagnetic means to vibrate the channel to cause the articles to travel toward the upper end thereof, a latchable cam pivoted to the rear deck at the upper. endfthereof, -a forwardly sloping rollway opposite the cam, the cam when in latched position stopping movement off the uppermost article while it is still in. the channel] so thaty its discharge is prevented.

3. The toy car of claim 2 wherein the cam whenunlatched is movable by the advancing article to allow it to pass` beyond'ftheY channel; and1 the cam has a' surface engageable with.y the sideofV the article to eject it onto the rollway.

4. The toy car of claim 2 wherein the cam has a surface engageable by the succeeding article to again shift it back toward' the` latchingl position'.-

5.3 Atoycar havingY aho'rizontal platform, al car body secur'edto the platform.- andhaving e'ndwalls, front-'and rear sidelwalls andI lo'ngitl'ldimilly-I extending' decks higher at `one end than the other and extending inwardly'to form a sloping slot; an: article; carrier' occupying the slot space,-y a magnetic vibrator between the platform and carrier, oblique leaf springs'connecting the carrier and platform foreectingrlongirudi-nal movement of the carrier: as.itlisnvibrated, theldeck atfthe higherN end and the adjacent Vsidewalls being shaped'y to form' aflaterally sloping.` rollway for articles/dischargedfroml the: upper end ofthe article carrier, andiacanifpivotallycarried by the other deck opposite th'eLfrollwa'y,-the carnlhaving a rst' surface toerigagearilonconii-ngi'article#to'shift the cam rearwardly, absecondi-surface.pastwhich the article freely moves andi-althirdsurfaee which'irisfengagedby the artieleLto efiec'tf al forward swinging: movement of the cam to eject` the'. article; fron'if thel carrier;

6. The toycar ofi clairrpSA having means to latchv the cant` irrlthe'-y rear position so tliatfit limits' the forward movement ofv the4 uppermost article on :the carrier. 

